Poppy Goes To Lowe's

 This morning we needed to go to Lowe's to pick up some pansies to go in pots for the winter. I decided it was a perfect trip for Poppy to come along with us and see some new exciting things. She seemed a little surprised when I put her in her tiny harness and leash.

She was a very good girl on the short car trip to the store. A cute little puppy like Poppy gets LOTS of attention at the store. Several people came up to meet her and in true Poppy style, she wagged her whole body in excitement to meet new people.

After we got some bags of potting soil loaded on the cart, we went over to pick out some flowers. Poppy had fun riding around on top of the bags of soil.

As soon as we had them on the cart, Poppy began to check them out. And by "check them out" I mean eat them!

I was going to convince Shawn-the-Wonder-Guy to go to Starbucks and get her a pup cup, but when we got in the car, she yawned and yawned and acted like she was tired. So, we went home instead.

Sure enough, when we got home and I took off her harness and let her go into her puppy condo, she headed straight to her bed. I tried to get some cute photos, but all I got was some side-eyed glances and clear body language to let her sleep.

So, we left her to take a nap and went outside to plant flowers.

Poppy had a fun morning getting to explore some new places and meet some new people.

Can you believe it is September already? I know I sound old when I talk about how quickly time flies by, but it really does!! Christmas will be here before we know it! I always view September as a time to re-organize things and sort of hit the reset button.

What Is Going On Around Here

We are in the midst of a major roof overhaul and repair. We knew the roof needed to be replaced as it was 26 years old. We were concerned about a few places that might be rotting. Living in the wet Pacific Northwest brings us beautiful green landscapes and forests, but it also brings it's own unique problems. The dampness is hard on houses and structures. We had the roof looked over about a year ago and everything seemed well. However, once we pulled the trigger and said it was time to replace it before something major happened (that seems the be the norm for us), our contractor found that there was So. Much. Rot. It was a shock to us, as well as him, because on the surface everything looked fine. So, this project has turned into a 4-5 week ordeal, with much tearing off of the roofing and plywood sheathing.  It will all be worth it in the end. But, boy howdy, it is a noisy mess right now.

The dogs are dealing with it surprisingly well. Or perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. They are a very happy, friendly bunch of pups. Once they got to meet our contractor, Chris, and his assistant, they are happy to see them arrive each morning and look forward to potty breaks, when they can go out and get attention from everyone. Poppy is loving being the center of attention! 

I have kept them busy and less stressed by prepping some frozen treats for them, as well as stuffing some Kong toys with different yummy flavors of Buddy Budders from Bark Bistro. You can find them on Amazon, or their website HERE.

Poppy has settled in and is such a sweet, sassy little thing. She loves to cuddle with me and will nestle her little head in my neck as soon as I pick her up. She is proving to be a feisty little sister to the other dogs. Some of them just don't know how to deal with her and will look at me like, "What the heck did you bring home, Mom?"

We  homeschool our 14 year old daughter, and school is now in full swing. It's very noisy, but she is doing a great job of focusing and concentrating on her lessons. I am challenged with providing her with high school curriculum that meets her needs and interests, as well as graduation requirements. It was so much easier when she was doing elementary level work. That's another example of how quickly time has flown by!!

What I Am Working On

I really enjoy making quilts and am currently working on some autumn ones. I had high hopes of completing several quilts over the summer break, but alas, that is not how things went. Now, I am trying to play catch up and get them done.

As part of my September re-set, I have been doing a lot of purging of things that I don't need/want anymore. Our plan is to someday in the near future downsize and move into a smaller, one level home. As I purge, I look at each item and think to myself, "Would this be something that is worth packing up and taking to a new home?" I sort of surprise myself with how often I say "No!" and am willing to let things go.

I am thinking of getting the boxes of fall decorations out and start doing a change over from summer to fall. I am certainly ready for some cooler weather, but no rain until our roof is completed!!

I picked up a new training book the other day, entitled, Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love by Kerry Nichols. I am really enjoying it and I like Kerry's style of writing. I am becoming more intentional in my dog parenting and am excited about the results that I am seeing in doing so.

Tip Of The Month

As part of the September re-set, I like to start doing some freezer meals. I like having the meals ready to go, whether it is to dump it all into the crockpot in the morning, or to have ready to put together quickly for dinner. There are tons of recipes on Pinterest. Time becomes more of a premium as kids go back to school, and get involved with activities and sports. And, we are barreling towards the holidays. Try to find ways to simplify your life.

A New Addition

It has been three weeks now since our new addition to the family arrived, and it seems like she has always been here. She has blended in with everyone so seamlessly. Our dogs are pretty accepting of new dogs, so it really doesn't surprise me that everyone is getting along so well. Her addition brings us to an even 4 boys and 4 girls.

Welcome, Poppy Jane!!

Poppy came from our good friends at The Cheeky Chis. She is a half sister to Leo, and definitely has his same sassy personality.

She attached very quickly to me and runs all excitedly to me when I enter the room. I love how she sleeps on her back, totally relaxed.

When she gets too warm in her bed, she likes to sleep on the floor.

She tried on her first dress, but wasn't too impressed.

Poppy has also already starred in her first advertisement for Happy Howl dog food. You can see the ad here.

We are extremely thrilled and excited to have Poppy in our family. She will bring us so much joy for a long time to come. We are incredibly grateful to Jeanette, of The Cheeky Chis for sharing her with us.

Friday Favorite - Two of My Favorite Cleaning Helps

 

Today’s Friday Favorite is actually two items. We definitely have a multi-dog household. Living with seven long-haired Chihuahuas makes for lots of dog hair and lots of messes on the floors from muddy paws, water slurping, etc. I work very hard to keep our house not only fun, safe, and healthy for the dogs, but also clean and healthy for the humans that live here also.

Today I want to share with you my two favorite tools that make that job so much easier. The first one is ‘Hazel’, my Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum. 

Yes, I named the vacuum. 😄 After years of going through boxes and boxes of Swiffer mop cloths, we finally decided to give a cordless vacuum a try. I was quickly sold on the ease and convenience of this lightweight vacuum. It was especially helpful when I was recovering from surgery on my arm. I love the fact that I can return the vacuum to its charging base, where it will charge and empty itself. No more getting dirty to empty the canister. Yay!!! It has a removeable hand vac that works great for cleaning other areas such as drawers, corners, furniture, and dog beds. The roller bar is self-cleaning and the hair does not wrap around it. With dogs, that is a huge plus!

It has 40 minutes of running time, which is plenty for me to vacuum our entire house. It can be used on both hard floor surfaces and carpet. I use this vacuum every day! 

You can check it out here.

 

My second favorite for today is ‘Eleanor’, my Eureka Cordless Wet Dry Vacuum and Mop in one. 

This is so much better than slinging a mop and bucket! Self-propelled and soo easy to use, even Shawn-the-Wonder-Guy loves it. For use on hard floor surfaces, this machine will vacuum up debris and mop at the same time. It senses dirt and automatically adjusts the suction and water flow. It has a 35-minute run time. It has a clean water tank and a dirty water tank, so you are never spreading dirty water over your floor like when using a conventional mop.  It is easy maintenance with its self-cleaning features and has pleasant voice prompts. When you return it to the base, it will charge and clean the roller. You simply dump the dirty water out and leave it to charge for next time. I use this to mop the floors 3-4 times per week.

You can check it out here.

These two cleaning helps have been game changers for my ability to keep my floors clean and looking nice. Both are relatively quiet when in use and the dogs sleep through the cleaning process, unbothered even when I use them right up close to them. I hope they can be a help for you, too.

Have a happy weekend and give your pups a hug from us! 💖

My Friday Favorites are always items that I have purchased myself, used for a length of time, and am very pleased with and am willing to make a recommendation to others. The links I provide are to the item in our Amazon store and are affiliate links. I receive a small commission off any purchase you make using the links.

A Little Introduction

 

Since I am starting our blog back up, I decided it was a good time to write an introduction and a little bit of history of how we arrived here.

My name is Kelli and I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, in a nice suburb outside of Portland, Oregon. I have lived here my entire life.

My first dog was a Collie, which I received as a birthday gift when I turned 12. It had taken three years of begging my parents to let me have one. I named him Reno and joined 4-H to learn how to train and show him. I was hooked instantly and went on to show in AKC dog shows, handling my own dogs as well as other people’s dogs. Reno came with me when I married Shawn-the-Wonder-Guy. I taught obedience classes for several years through our local community schools program. I really loved that and met so many great dogs and people!

I started my business of designing a clothing line for the tiny dog breeds in 2008. We didn’t have any small dogs at the time, but we did have Cody, a beautiful tricolor rough Collie. He was a dream dog. So gentle, laid back, and patient with our kids. We had 7 children, so it was a blessing to have such a sweet dog.

Cody

I soon decided that I needed a live model for the photographs of my designs. After a brief search, I found Stormie. She was a retired show dog, who hadn’t really enjoyed the dog show world, but she loved to model clothes. My business really picked up after her arrival. And the name Cody and Company was created. The company part being the Chihuahuas. I acquired another Chihuahua, Shimmer, from the same breeder that I had bought Stormie from a year later. And Breezy came a year after that. Cody passed away from cancer, but we kept the name in his honor. The three girls were super stars. We attended many dog events, were featured in calendars, and Stormie was even on the cover of a Chihuahua magazine.

Stormie

Shimmer

Breezy

While I believed time would never catch up with us, it did indeed. The girls got older and one by one they passed away. But the thing with Chihuahuas is that once you are hooked, you can’t have just one. Soon, we had nine of the little beauties and I have loved every minute of being their Mommy. Unfortunately, Charm and Finn passed away in August 2023, bringing us down to 7 dogs: Cooper, our old man at age 14, Scarlett, Tallie, Tucker, Ivy, Leo, and Benny.

Cooper

Scarlett

Tallie

Tucker

Ivy

Leo

Benny

Charm

Finn

I closed my business shortly after the Covid pandemic. While no longer running the business, I have remained active on my social media pages, sharing the lives of our fun crew of crazy Chihuahuas.

Meet the Girls

 Last week I introduced you to the boys and told you a little about each one. Today we will talk about the girls!

 We currently have 4 girls. We started with the Original three girls – Stormie, Shimmer and Breezy – and you can find their stories further back in the blog. I will link them below.

We will begin with Scarlett Rose, who is 6 years old. She was our first new addition after the passing of Stormie and Breezy. At the time she joined our family we only had Shimmer and Cooper. Can you believe that??? Only TWO Chihuahuas!

 Scarlett was a sweetheart from day one. Her only nickname is Scarley Barley. She was a fun-loving puppy with lots of energy. Cooper was shocked beyond belief that we had brought a puppy in to his domain and would have nothing to do with her. Shimmer, although elderly and not the healthiest at the time, loved her but did not have the energy to play with her. Fortunately, we had a tiny human that was more than happy to play with her. Scarlett was our worst chewer. She shredded the cute toy basket, and most all the chewed corners of the kitchen cabinets are evidence of her handiwork.

Scarlett is very smart, so we began the Thursday’s Thoughts from Scarlett on Instagram to share her deep thoughts. Haha. They are a fan favorite. Scarlett is the most patient with the new puppies and loves to play and run zoomies with them. She loves the snow. Her first winter here was filled with lots of snowstorms. She would run zoomies through the snow, literally having to plow her way through the drifted snow, until she had so many snowballs stuck in her fur that she could no longer move. She is still the only one that gets excited about snow on the ground. She is the largest of our dogs, weighing in at 6.5 pounds. Don’t tell her that I shared that information though!

Next came Miss Charm, who will be turning 9 years old next month. We were able to adopt her from the same breeder that we got the Original Girls and Cooper from. The breeder was discontinuing her Chihuahua breeding and Charm was the last dog she had to place. She is our only smooth coated Chihuahua and came to us after having had a very successful career as a show dog and was already 4 years old. We do sometimes call her Charmy but have not been able to come up with a middle name that works with Charm. It has been fun to have a short haired Chihuahua and she is certainly the favorite child on grooming and bath days!

Charm is the barker of the girls, as well as a fence runner. It’s how she keeps her fine figure! She is the last one to stop barking at anyone who visits us, although she is never aggressive about and is usually wiggling her whole back end the entire time. She is the only one of our nine dogs that is not enamored of small children, especially if they are running around the house. To keep the peace, she gets to hang out in our bedroom when the little grandchildren visit. She very much loves older children and will sit on their lap and let them pet her for hours.

Only about a month after Charm joined our family, Tallie Ann arrived. She was the prized puppy princess from the moment she was handed over to me at the airport by the pet nanny. Tallie came from Iowa and is now 5 years old. As most everyone knows, she is a natural born model. She loves to dress up in clothes, she knows how to look straight into the camera and pose, and she is a great sport with any crazy idea I come up with. She also doesn’t have many nicknames, but does get called Tallie Bali, which comes from our Little Human calling her Bali instead of Tallie for a very long time.

 

Tallie has a stubborn streak. She is always the last dog to come inside from the yard, liking to lay at the edge of the patio, tail wagging and a mischievous grin on her face. When she finally decides to come in, she hops up, runs a tight circle around the yard and comes in at lightening speed. It’s very cute, except for when I am in a hurry and don’t have the patience for it. She has an incredible obsession for Lampchop stuffed dog toys. Like an unhealthy obsession. They are the only toys she will have anything to do with and the more she can gather around her, the better. She gets pretty upset if any of the other dogs take one of the Lambies.

One little interesting side note about Tallie is that she really does not like Scarlett. While they have never actually gotten into a scuffle, they do like to glare at each other from opposite sides of the room and growl when they walk by the other one. I am sure it goes back to one day when Scarlett ripped up a Lambie….

Our final girl is Ivy Claire. Her full name came because of it rhyming with “I do declare, Ivy Claire!” It was said a LOT when she was a puppy as she would find the most incredible ways to get stuck behind or under something, she would tease and torment Cooper relentlessly, or she would chew on something she shouldn’t. She has a total love for Cooper that unfortunately is not returned, no matter how many times she throws herself down in front of him and rolls belly up. She has the most glorious deep red silky coat. I think it is quite stunning.

Ivy is very loving, but very quiet. She is like the quiet kid in the class that you have to make a mental note to give attention to because she doesn’t do anything to demand it. She is my little buddy, loving to be with me when I am working out in the garden. She shares Leo’s hatred for the squirrels and has been chasing them much longer than he has but has not ever come close to catching one. Ivy rarely barks, but when she does it sounds deep and hoarse like someone who has smoked for years. It always makes me laugh when I hear it. She does not like having a crate pad or blanket in her crate. If you put one in there, she will immediately pee on it, then drag it out and across the room. I never have been able to figure that one out, but I respect her wishes and don’t put anything in her ‘condo’.

 

So, there you have a little insight to each of the girls. I love each of my pups’ individual personalities and the joy that they bring to our family.

Below are the blog posts about the Original Girls:

http://codyandcompany.blogspot.com/2010/01/meet-modelsstarring-stormie.html

http://codyandcompany.blogspot.com/2010/02/meet-modelsstarring-breezy.html

http://codyandcompany.blogspot.com/2016/07/meet-miss-shimmer.html